NOVEL RELEASED IN INDIA

Harper Collins has published Dahanu Road in India. Had wonderful readings in Bombay and Delhi. Even though my work's been translated into many languages and published in many countries, it's a great feeling to finally see the novel in Indian bookstores.

In the photo, from the left, singer/choreographer Shiamak Davar, Anosh Irani, film director Govind Nihalani, and Bollywood actor Boman Irani at the Bombay launch.

The word STATIONERY can be seen above our heads, but I promise you we weren't selling pens. Or anything of the sort.

BAHROT - AS IT LOOKS RIGHT NOW

With the monsoons finally hitting Dahanu, the hills turn green, shy at first, then suddenly opulent, bursting with color. As mentioned in one of my earlier entries, this is the route to the seven caves where the Iranshah, the Fire Of Victory, was preserved -- and hidden -- for twelve years, when the Muslims invaded Sanjan and forced the Zoroastrians to flee. This fire is believed to be have been kept burning for 1284 years. It currently shines bright and strong in Udvada, Gujarat.

But going back to the photograph, there's something about an Indian monsoon that is unforgettable. The spray of water on your face as you ride your motorcycle, the sudden shiver as the wind makes your shirt balloon, and when you stop riding, and rest, the trickling of water, gurgling, purring away, making you long for a steaming cup of masala chai.

BAHROT DURING THE RAINS

Dahanu turns lush, and the heat disappears. I've heard that in the days before electricity came to Dahanu, the Iranis used to place overturned watermelon shells on their heads to cool things down. Quite an idea; even more fascinating as a fashion statement. But here's Bahrot again, green and inviting. Wish I could be there. Wait a minute. I know that goat.

THE NEXT CHAPTER

Dahanu Road is feautured on the CBC with the lovely Sheila Rogers. Listen here:
http://www.cbc.ca/thenextchapter/

Also on the show, Ryan Knighton talks about his memoir, C'MON PAPA. When I first came to Canada, in my days at Capilano College, I went to the writing centre as I was constantly confused about the usage of commas. Ryan was the instructor there. And now we're on the same radio show. He has a wonderful sense of humor.

BAHROT HILL

700 years after the first Zoroastrians fled from Iran to the shores of Sanjan, the Muslims hunted them again. A Parsi commander named Ardeshir gathered a troop of fighters and joined forces with the Hindu king of the region, but they were slain in battle. The survivors took the holy fire, which had been brought from Iran and kept burning for centuries, and fled Sanjan to the Bahrot hills. They hid in its caves for 12 years, tending to the fire, which they called the Iranshah, the Fire of Victory. Today, Bahrot is considered a sacred site for the Zoroastrians, and it's only a motorcycle ride from Dahanu. Then one has to leave the motorcycle at the foot of the hills and begin the long trek upwards.

The photo shows the karvi flowers on Bahrot- they bloom once every few years. A stunning sight when it happens.

CBC BOOK CLUB

Dahanu Road has been chosen for the CBC's Studio One Book Club. Hosted by the lovely Sheryl MacKay, and broadcast on her show North by Northwest, I'll be discussing the novel and its colourful inhabitants May 31st. I did my first ever interview with Sheryl MacKay after my play The Matka King was workshopped at the Arts Club Theatre in 2002. The play is set in the red light district and has a eunuch as the main character; when my granny heard the interview back home she said to me over the phone: "You spoke about the brothels so well! Congratulations!" She passed away the next year, but I do hope she shows up for the Dahanu Road discussion. My granny loved to drink. There's a lot of whiskey in the novel, and very little whiskey, I assume, in heaven.

ZOROASTRIAN SYMBOL ON TOTEM POLE IN OTTAWA

A recent article in India's Zoroastrian weekly, the Jam-e-Jamshed, caught my attention:

"Each figure on the Totem Pole represents a symbol, which the Native people believe is very meaningful to their culture and traditions. The highest honour is given to the Zoroastrian religion, which is depicted with the engraved figure of the 'Asho Farohar.'"

That's the winged angel right at the top.

As I had mentioned in one of my earlier entries, the fravashi (Asho Farohar) encourages a humen being's soul to take rebirth on Earth and acts as a guiding force. Rebirth is something I naturally believe in. No matter how much we advance technologically, as a race we regress when it comes to what really matters. Humility, compassion, courage -- we seem to need lifetimes to understand, let alone master, these. In this life, if I get even one of these right, I'll consider myself a success.